Fike alarm



Oct. 27, 1936. Q N KALSTROM ET AL 2,059,113

FIRE ALARM Filed March 14, 1936 0 /Z Elma/Mo es AZ 4 ma Z6 N/faisirom,

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Patented Oct. 27, 1936 PATENT QFFICE FIRE ALARM Charles N. Kalstrom andBlunt S. Pope, Henderson, N.

Application March 14, 1936, Serial No. 68,930

3 Claims.

This invention relates to the class of signals and alarms and pertainsparticularly toan improved fire alarm.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide an alarmdevice for giving warning of a fire which will be positive in operationand which is so designed that it may be economically constructed andsold at such a price as to enable anyone to obtain a number of thedevices for placement in various portions of a house or other building.

Another object of the invention is to provide an alarm device which isdesigned to signal by causing a loud explosion as a result of beingheated to a predetermined degree by the starting of a fire in thevicinity of the device.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a fire alarmdevice comprising a firecracker of a character to give a loud reportupon ignition, which is housed in a screen cage having a lining ofhighly inflammable material whereby the development of a fire in theimmediate vicinity of the device will effect the ignition of the linerat a relatively low temperature and thus set off the signalingfirecracker before the fire has gained any material headway.

The invention will be best understood from a consideration of thefollowing detailed description taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawing forming part of this specification, with the understanding,however, that the invention is not confined to any strict conformitywith the showing of the drawing but may be changed or modified so longas such changes or modifications mark no material departure from thesalient features of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a view in section through the top portion of a house orother building showing the device embodying the present invention inseveral different positions in the attic.

Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation of the alarm device.

Fig. 3 is a view in end elevation of the same.

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 2.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing wherein like numerals ofreference indicate corresponding parts throughout the specification, thenumeral l designates the attic portion of any building structure,particularly a home, in which the device is primarily intended for use,although it is to be understood that it may be used in any locationwhere there would be the possibility of some one hearing the report fromthe device when the same is ignited by fire.

While the alarm device is intended to be used in any suitable location,it is a particular object that the devicebe placed in the vicinity of achimney 2, as illustrated, as it is about the area of a building thruwhich the chimney passes that a fire usually occurs.

The device embodying the present invention is indicated generally by thenumeral 3 and as illustrated in detail in Figs. 2 to 5, it comprises abody of wire screen fabric which is rolled to form a cylinder 4, thelongitudinal edges of which are disposed preferably in overlappedrelation, as indicated at 5 in Fig. 5. While any suitable means may beemployed for securing the overlapped edges 5 in the wires shown orsecuring them together in any other manner, it is preferred that theseedges be joined by the reversely bent terminals 6 of a wire 7 which isbent intermediate its ends to form the elongated hanging loop which isparticularly illustrated in Fig. 2. By this means the device or wire 1performs the double function of holding the overlapped edges togetherand providing means whereby the device may be suspended from a rafter ofa building adjacent the chimney 2, as illustrated in Fig. l.

The cylinder 4 which is formed by rolling the wire, has its ends closedby slitting the wire in a number of places, as indicated at 8 andturning in the portions thus formed, one over the other, to form thescreen wire end walls 9.

Before closing the ends of the cylinder l, there is slipped into thesame the sleeve or rolled sheet of material which is indicated by thenumeral l0, and which is of some highly inflammable material such ascelluloid. This cylinder of inflammable material Ili is open at its endsand disposed within the same is a detonating device H such as afirecracker, which is provided with a fuse I2 to be ignited from thesleeve or lining l0 when the latter takes fire.

It will be noted that the cylinder 4 and lining in are of materiallygreater length than the firecracker ll so that after the inflammablesleeve ill has been ignited, it will burn for a short period before itreaches the fuse l2, thus insuring the development of a sufiicientamount of heat to ignite the fuse.

By placing the noise-producing device H and the inflammable cylinder illwithin the wire screen cylinder 4, the device is protected againstdamage by rats, mice, or other rodents.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that the device embodying thepresent invention may be very easily and quickly made and that it maytherefore be made economically and sold at a reasonable price so thatanyone will be financially able to obtain a few of the devices fordisposal about the attic of the house, and thus be assured of a warningin the event that fire occurs anywhere in the immediate vicinity of thedevice.

We claim:

1. A fire alarm device, comprising a casing of screen wire materialformed from a sheet of screen wire and having longitudinal overlappingedges, said casing being closed on all sides, a lining of inflammablematerial within the casing, an ignitible detonating device within thelining, and suspension means comprising a looped wire having reverselybent terminal portions whi h. are passed through the overlappingportions of the screen casing to secure the said overlapped portionstogether,

2. A fire alarm device, comprising a cylinder formed of a rolled sheetof screen wire having longitudinal overlapping edges and having inturnedend portions whereby the cylinder is closed throughout, a lining ofcelluloid within the cylinder, a firecracker disposed Within the lining,said lining forming a cylinder having open ends, and means facilitatingthe suspension of the cylinder and also serving to secure the overlappedlongitudinal edges thereof together.

3. A fire alarm device comprising a body of screen wire rolled intocylindrical form and having overlapping edges extending longitudinallythereof, means extending through the meshes of the overlapping edges ofthe wire to secure the edges together and maintain the wire in saidform, the wire of the cylinder being inturned at each end to form endwalls, a lining cylinder of inflammable material within the screencylinder, and a detonating device within the lining cylinder and havingan exposed igniting fuse.

CHARLES N. KALSTROM. BLUNT S. POPE.

